2018 GMC Yukon XL Denali 4WD 8-Speed Automatic

2018 GMC Yukon XL Denali 4WD 8-Speed Automatic Basic Motors rather a lot owns the full-size SUV section with its entries from Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac. Sales on the General’s six regular- and extended-length full-size SUVs totaled 255,907 through November; inside the very same time period, Ford identified just 63,887 consumers for its four total variants of the competing Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. It cannot harm that GM covers all of the pricing bases from the $48,410 entry-level Chevy Tahoe for the $98,790 Cadillac Escalade ESV Platinum 4x4. As these hefty MSRPs propose, these trucks create tons of profits, especially luxury variants just like the one particular we’ve examined here, the GMC Yukon XL Denali.

2018 GMC Yukon XL Denali 4WD 8-Speed Automatic

A lot more than a men and women hauler, the extended-wheelbase Yukon XL can tow and haul hefty cargo, too. Virtually 19 feet lengthy from stem to stern and riding on the huge 130-inch wheelbase, the big GMC has area for up to eight individuals (our Denali test truck’s second-row captain’s chairs restricted it to a highest of seven) and might carry 39 cubic feet of their belongings behind the third row. Tow ratings vary from 7900 to 8100 lbs, based on products.

Paying out the $8650 premium to the Denali upgrade more than the next-lowest trim, the SLT 4x4, brings magnetic-ride-control dampers, HID headlamps, active noise cancellation, a larger alternator (to take care of these electrical upgrades), a customizable driver’s display, a glitzy grille, and sparkling body-side trim. A far more practical Denali upgrade is its 6.2-liter V-8, which supplants lesser versions’ five.3-liter V-8. The six.two can be a detuned version in the Corvette Stingray engine and generates 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque right here, output we produced ample use of in the course of a 40,000-mile long-term test of the 2015 Yukon XL Denali. So why check the same GMC again? Given that our long-termer was developed, GM replaced the 6.2’s former six-speed automatic transmission having a new eight-speed unit.

The new powertrain pairing propelled this 2017 model from rest to 60 mph in 5.eight seconds and with the quarter-mile in 14.three seconds at 98 mph. Compared together with the very best outcomes we got from our 2015 long-termer, those are improvements of 0.one and 0.two second-essentially a wash. The eight-speed proved relatively more beneficial when it comes to fuel economic system, if not in our mixed average-16 mpg, much like the long-termer-then more than our 200-mile, 75-mph highway cruising test. In the course of that physical exercise, this Yukon XL returned 21 mpg, or one mpg higher than its EPA highway rating.

2018 GMC Yukon XL Denali 4WD 8-Speed Automatic - Interior:

The Yukon’s interior is virtually identical to that of its mechanical twin, the Chevrolet Suburban, setting aside the upgraded resources and features that come with the Denali trim level. This is not a bad factor when it comes to comfort, ergonomics, and first- and second-row area, but a few of the very same plastics that disappoint in that base $48K Chevy are even now prominent on this rig, and the third row is uncomfortable, hard to clamber into, and set very lower on the floor. The central infotainment touchscreen is crisp and clear, responds quickly to inputs, and has redundant buttons and knobs beneath it. There’s even a modest space behind the screen-which motors up and out of the way-to store or charge a mobile phone and also to hide other tiny items you’d like to conceal. You will find so many storage cubbies of a variety of sizes scattered through the entire cabin that it’s hard to think about any individual needing to depart some thing behind.

In its element although cruising the interstates, the Yukon XL wafts along quietly and usually isolates occupants from the outside world, although also feeling planted and steady. Nevertheless, when traversing Michigan’s most broken pavement, some tire slap and suspension noise invades the cabin, as well as the trip can get flinty within the Denali edition’s 22-inch wheels (our long-termer’s 22s weighed 88 pounds per corner together with the tires installed).

The Yukon XL yields to the Ford Expedition EL/Lincoln Navigator L in relation to cargo capacity, offering up four cubic feet with all seats raised and 10 with the 2nd and third rows stowed. People are not insignificant, but it is possible to even now match a studio apartment’s well worth of things in here. Indeed, picking the long-wheelbase XL model implies 24 cubic feet a lot more area behind the third row than while in the common Yukon and around 26 additional cubes using the seats folded. In the most recent redesign for 2015, GM attained a virtually flat load floor by including a platform with storage beneath, but it is a work-around for the inefficient packaging from the live-axle rear suspension, a carryover through the full-size-pickup platform on which GM’s full-size SUVs are based. In contrast, Ford’s Expedition employs an independent rear suspension that each allows more productive packaging along with a a lot more compliant ride above washboard sections of gravel roads. Additionally, GM’s platform raises the load height by about 3 inches, which might not look like much until you’re trying to stuff a heavy refrigerator through the hatch.

2018 GMC Yukon XL Denali 4WD 8-Speed Automatic - Features:

Parking or maneuvering a motor vehicle that is 7 feet broad (which includes huge mirrors) and 224 inches long can be quite a challenge. Certainly, even though testing the GMC, a tight parking whole lot place the SUV’s safety attributes by way of their paces. Proximity sensors had been buzzing front and back, cross-path detection chimed as other individuals navigated around the monster SUV, and the transmission and shifter (along with the driver) received a workout although creating anything like a six-point flip to slot the beast right into a narrow area. Our check car also came outfitted using a high-resolution backup camera and also GM’s haptic alert program, which vibrates the driver’s seat when the car closes in on an obstruction. These haptic alerts also supply warnings from the lane-keeping-assist system.

Even though the Yukon XL Denali is actually a hugely capable and pleasant enough car, there are many other possibilities that ring in underneath its enormous $81,000 MSRP. As an illustration, all of the area, a big portion from the capability, and most of the comforts may be had for $10,000 significantly less inside the Chevy Suburban Premier. The bow-tie version’s only concession is the fact that it cannot be ordered together with the six.2-liter V-8, but the 355-hp 5.3-liter V-8 is no slouch, delivering a zero-to-60-mph run of 7.one seconds in our testing. These considering the Yukon far more for its trimmings than its hauling capabilities may possibly think about the Mercedes-Benz GLS450, which commences at less than $70,000 and includes a much more luxurious interior. Additionally, it offers a far more satisfying driving experience as well as a lot more brand cachet. Even though the GMC resides in a ideal middle ground amongst Chevy and Cadillac when viewed from a GM-centric viewpoint, the Yukon XL Denali’s value elevates it to a level the place ultra-luxurious appointments, stellar street managing, and-in many cases-better off-road prowess come from much more prestigious brand names that style their huge SUVs on dedicated platforms.

It’s a competent, powerful, and luxurious SUV, but the Yukon XL Denali is not the best bang for your buck, except if, probably, you are pricing it like real estate, from the square foot. Creating these vehicles on existing pickup-truck mechanical factors might enhance GM’s revenue margins, but demanding probably the most luxurious seven- or eight-seat SUVs would take far more effort to supply a deluxe driving expertise that goes beyond embellishing a perform truck having a bunch of functions and trim.